The Washington critic., 1887-02-26


of nourishing food"
just then the Yeo's little girl came
TO ask my wife to run In to see her
mother; so she goes In but soon comes
back, saying that Mr.. Yeo was not so
well, and that u foot warmer was
wanted.
Il know we've got one somewhere
that we had for the lodger We had
some years ago. said my wife ; but
where 10 put my hand upon 1t l don't
know"
"Oh, it's up in the loft" I said, half
jokingly, for 1t is always joke with us
that II anything cannot be found II Is
sure to be up In the loft.
~ think ] must 10 up and look" she
said, unhaDglng the lantern and light.
ing H..
So she goes up. and, knowing she
would find 1t difficult to lift the old
lumber about, 60 up with her.
Well, we had bother, can tell
you, TO find the foot jar, but at last we
unearthed It; but that was not all we
found-or rather, not all that my wife
found, for she. In looking behind the
flap Of an old oak.table, discovered a
brown paper parcel.
II am sure" she said, 1--WE don't
know Of one.half the things that are up
In that loft"
While she was filling the jar to take
In next door, l examined the parcel.
There was written address upon It
very faint, but could manage to read:
"Pdtterns.
"Miss Esther Marsh,
Exmouth.
Care Of Penhorwood, carrier, till
called for"
"Ha! hal my dear, it's a poor find
we have made to night. IT'S only a
parcel Of old patterns that have not
been called for.''
us that all p she answers, and runs
off with the foot.warmer.
She must have been gone some little
time, for dropped off to sleep after
drinking my drop of spiced ale. By
and-by was awakened with a loud
scream from my wife.
Good heavens!' exclaimed, start
ing up. "Whatever Is the matter?"
Matter! Why matter enough, John.
For goodness sake, look |"
No need to tell me to look. No
wonder my wife screamed-she is
holding in her hand a large roll of
bank notes.
Not knowing whether Pm dreaming
| or not, i snatch at the rolls; there are
dozcns-aye, hundreds of tens. fifties
and hundred.pound Bank Of England
notes.
what does 1t mean? Where did
they come from?" i managed to
gasp.
"Why, they were in that old brown
paper parcel, John. Oh, shall we get
into any trouble about 1t? But look !!
here Is some reading on this leather
bag"
/ taken leather case, which my
wife had taken up from the table;
painted on II are the words:
Thomas Yeo, Esq,
St. Gabriere,
Mount Radlord,
Exm0uth.
Then, In an instant, there flashes
through my mind the story of the
mysterious loss of the bank notes at the
time Of old Squire Yeo's death, ten
years before.
am spinning out this story too long,
let me finish 1t as soon as possible.
There was every proof that the money
was the properly Of the late Thomas
Yeo, esq.,, Of Mount Radford. 1t was
very happy Christmas for our next
door neighbors and for me. Who
Mrs. Bates, the dressmaker, was is q
mystery. But the lawyer who took
the affair In hand supposed that she,
by some means or other, must have
stolen them from st. Gabrlel's, aud
that the fear Of being discovered with
such sum induced her to pack 1t up
and forward II TO Exmouth by me, In
tending to call for It,; and l suppose
lawyers are the best judges.
It appears such an unlikely story
that such an Immense sum OF money
should lie about among lot Of useless
lumber for ten years without being dis.
covered. But such was the case. l
suppose 1t would never have got up
into the loft at all II II had not been
dubbed patterns.
always tell this story upon Christ
mas Eve Prize story In Wit and
Wisdom, by j. i. Rowland.